Solving Time: I found this hard and it took me something like 1 1/2 hours, off and on over a few days. However the last half came in something of a rush so maybe it was me rather than the crossword, which as ever is an absolute model of inventive and scrupulously correct clueing. No tired cricketing references here; instead we have infotech, sigmatrons and scientific geniuses such as Antoine Lavoisier. Good stuff!
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(–)
Across | |
---|---|
1 | trot-cozy – red = TROT + unknown Z in company = COY. The trot-cozy appears to be an invention of Sir Walter Scott’s, according to Chambers and the OED, hence the “author’s version” in the clue |
5 | stramp – drive = RAM in ST + P |
9 | storm jib – *(J + RIBS + TOM). Storm jibs familiar from the (wonderful) Hornblower books, amongst other places.. |
10 |
pulver – sweater = PUL( |
12 | gravel-voices – fity five = LV in solemn – GRAVE + O + ICED, an Americanism (and one of many) for killed. |
15 | apiol – every year = PA rev., + IOL which in a way I suppose is the same as 10l. Who knew how useful parsley seeds are? apparently it is, or at least was once, a useful treatment for “intermittent fever.” |
16 | rex rabbit – “sometime religious teacher” = EX RABBI in right = RT. All the first phrase is the def. A google image search brings an eclectic result |
18 |
sigmatron – something heaved mostly = SIG( |
19 | lyart – sTRAY Leaping rev. |
20 | vitro-di-trina – little girl = VI + walked = TROD + IN in ART + I rev. Literally, Italian for “glass-of-lace.” Never heard of it but I had heard of vitro (as in “in-vitro” fertilization) and treen (which is in fact a completely unrelated word), so put it in quite happily.. |
24 | rootle – “route’ll” – I was startled to see on the crossword club website that this clue caused problems, it is a homophone, simple always provided of course that you have heard of the word you are looking for! I had, and moreover it is a lovely word, ne c’est pa? |
25 | infotech – *(ETC IF ON) + H. Unlike the last, an ugly word. Is “courses” OK as an anagrist? The ridiculous insert in the current edition of Chambers does not (once again) list it. I am tempted to cut the whole thing out with a knife.. what a pig’s ear the latest edition is! |
26 |
emmove – musicians first = the letter M = EM + (a) second = MO + V( |
27 |
Isengrim – exists = IS + in, French = EN + GRIM( |
Down | |
1 |
tost – health drink = TO( |
2 | obol – tOmBs OnLy. An obol was a Greek coin, originally a metal rod in fact. |
3 | camarilla – about = CA + old lady = MA + improperly = ILL in artist = RA. Not such an obscure word as one might think, I came across it only a few days ago |
4 |
zeitvertreib – E( |
6 |
Truro – men = OR + ( |
7 | advice-boat – *(A CD ABOVE ITS) |
8 |
peridotite – ( |
11 |
alexandrines – A + SENI( |
13 | salsa verde – cheap ticket = SAVER in *(DEALS) |
14 | witgatboom – tracking device = TAG, rev. in intelligence = WIT + report = BOOM. so a “lift and separate,” one of my favourite clueing devices, is needed for “intelligence report.” |
17 |
allantoin – everything = ALL + ANTOIN( |
21 |
ollav – nothing = O, + ( |
22 |
seir – ( |
23 | cham – C + HAM |
Agree with your comments about Chambers – what is that silly section all about? And only the French could ice Lavoisier!
I’m also not sure about the “without” in 26ac. If it’s “verse stripped without”, to me that would lead to ERS rather than VE.